Obama says he's never spoken to Kim Jung Un

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama says he doesn't know Kim Jung Un personally and has never spoken to him, but says the North Korean leader can still take a different path.

Obama says he does know that Kim Jung Un's actions seem to pursue a dead end.

Obama spoke at a joint news conference Tuesday with South Korean President Park Geun-hye (goon-hay). He says the U.S. and South Korea agree that they should maintain a strong deterrent capability against North Korean threats. But he says there's still time for Pyongyang to take a different path on its nuclear weapons program. He says the U.S. and South Korea would welcome a change.

The unpredictable young leader came to power after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in December 2011.